10.12.2009

tables that were turned

a few weeks ago david caught me by surprise by sending me some interview questions for our 1000 words project. things got really busy for me at work, so it took me a while to get to them, but i did so here you go, a little more insight for any one interested in our work.

-how long have you been taking photographs?i've been snapping away for fun since i was 12 or 13 and hamming it up for photos even earlier than that. remember when 110 film was cool? i think my parents still have their old vivitar somewhere. but i'd say i've been shooting purposefully for the last two and a half years.

- what makes you decide to go digital or film (in general)?this is such a hard question for me. before i bought my dslr (a nikon D80) i would have said film hands down. i love film for so many reasons, one of which is it just sounds so great, hearing that shutter go kerplunk. but having a better digital camera that i can manipulate things like aperture and shutter speed, makes me feel really great about digital as well. that being said i would never ever give up on film. ever. i'll have that pentax k1000 with me until it dies or i do.

- what have you used for the 1k project, and why?looking back at all the posts for 1k, they are very digital heavy. it might be a cop-out to say it, but i feel like it's mostly due to time constraints. since we have to work about a month ahead of time (which reminds me i need to get you november's photo soon!), finding the time to set up a photo shoot on film, have it processed and then look through the photos to decide on one, makes me a little nervous. not to mention the fact, what if i take all that time, and don't get anything i'm happy with? i'd like to shoot more film for this project, but finding the time makes it hard. especially moving into the winter months, since i only use natural light with my film camera. yeah, it's a total cop-out. sorry folks.

- what is your process for composing an image for this project?i'm finding that it's certainly more purposeful than i thought it would be when we started. it's hard for me not to think about the fact that the next post will be in november. since i have to shoot what is around me (no out of town location shoots in the near future), for me seasonality plays a huge roll. some of the past photos i had an extremely specific image in my mind that i wanted to create, such as july's 1k story. we went out to my parents house because i was looking for a creek and i really wanted to find a big frog. as you can see, we did. that image is pretty much exactly what i had in my head. the images for the earlier stories were certainly more off the cuff, i guess because i was getting settled into the project. i always having ideas floating around for images i want, but making them happen has proved more difficult than i would have guessed.

- which story do you feel best connects to, or represents, the image you provided?i'd have to say april 1k. there is this haze in the picture that for me directly connects to the haze that gene has been living under. his character is so much the pack mule, he has basically put his head down and worked hard for more years than he can count, only to finally look up and realize so much has passed him by. all this time he was doing what he thought was so important, when really his family wanted more than a pack mule, they wanted a father in their life. that story kills me, and the photo is right in the wheel-house too.

- which story was the biggest surprise, based on the photo you provided?february 1k. maybe because it was our first, maybe because the story takes such a huge twist three fourths of the way through, for whatever reason, that story knocked me flat off my feet. i had no idea what was coming, but the thing that is so great about this project is that even though the story was such a surprise to me, looking back, the image still fits. fits snugly if i do say so myself.

- when you cook, why don't you try following the recipe, just once?i can't help it. i'm a fiddler. what can i say? at least your wife is a good cook. for the most part. i'll fully admit that there are times when my fiddling makes some disgusting food.

- name two of your favorite photos and explain why.may 1k. this was one of those purposeful, shot on film, set up waaay ahead of time, image that was created. it was so great, two people i had never met before in person let me into their home, took off some of their clothes (not all of them!) and let me take pictures of them. the best part was that it was totally fun and awesome, not awkward at all. i'd like to do more of these types of shoots, the purposeful kind, not the take off your clothes kind.

june 1k is also a favorite of mine. the photo is very personal (it's my sister) and the setting is also personal (i used that clothing line for most of my childhood), elements which i think david channeled into the story. i had a good idea of what image i wanted to get, and the story goes so well with it that it's hard not to be a favorite.

- why are you doing this with me?well, you are certainly the best writer i know personally. collaborating with other creative people is such a great feeling. now take that feeling and multiply it by a thousand when you collaborate with someone you love, kind of makes it a no-brainer really.- out of all of the images you have on Flickr, pick two that you think best represents you as an artist.man. wrap it up with an easy question why don't you. sheesh.

this is a photo that i love for so many reasons, personal and technical. the light came out just the way i wanted it to. the space brings back so many strong memories. pretty much everything about it does things for me. i think if i had my way, my photos would be much more along these lines, more moody. but because it's hard for me to spend time alone, away from home shooting, i feel like these happen less often.

that being said, if i could take pictures of people having fun, preferably enjoying the summer, for the rest of my life, i would do it in a heartbeat. to capture a moment of joy, or love, or even pain, those are the kinds of photos i love to take. that i keep striving for.

in case you missed it, a new story for october is up. so there you have it folks.

I love the question about fiddling with the recipes. I'm pretty sure my husband would ask the same time, even though he's an experimenter too. He just would rather that one time in my life I would admit that maybe the person writing the recipe knew that they were doing. And I'm a good cook, too, except for the occasional disaster.